What a way to open any concert. Fanfare and Flourishes is a spectacular short work that mixes all the pageantry of a military tattoo with the well-known Charpentier (1634-1705) Te Deum a tune everyone will recognise as the theme tune for the Eurovision Song Contest! A brilliant piece to start a concert with a bang!

Trimbeka is a composition which owes its existence to the anniversary of music society ?de Vlecke? in Gorredijk. The name Gorredijk originates from ?goor? or ?gor? which means : bog. Along the marshy peat ran a ?dijk? (the Dutch word for dike) called the Gordijk. The name of the village resembles that of the home town of the composer himself who comes from a town in Twente called Goor. Three streams used to run through the area around Gorredijk. the historical name Trimbeets (Trimbeka) meaning three brooks recalls this to mind. Gorredijk was a flourishing ?Vlecke? i.e. large village which was situated on an intersection of important connecting roads.The liveliness which this entailed is one of the distinctive elements in Trimbeka. Furthermore ominous sounds possibly refer to the dangers of the bog while the resonance of the merriment during the annual fair can also be heard. The slow middle movement is an ode to the beautiful landscape surrounding the village.

The Netherlands have been an important trading nation for a long time – partly as a result of their geographical situation. One of the first multinationals in The Netherlands was the ‘Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie’ (VOC). The aim of the VOC was to send ships to Asia in order to buy pepper and spices and to take over the Portuguese monopoly in this field. The Company was successful. An era of great prosperity resulted in which the art of painting (Rembrandt van Rijn) as well as science (Constantijn Huygens) flourished alongside a thriving economy. 1. The Sails are set : There is a lot of hustle and bustle on the quay. The crew are preparing fordeparture. Goodbyes are said and once the sails have been hoisted the ship sets out to sea.2. A Visit to the Rajah of Yogyakarta: After a voyage of many months the place of destination is reached. A visit to the Radja the king of the area around Yokyakarta follows. The dishes and beverages and the native culture in general are very pleasant after having been on a diet of ship’s biscuit and water for such a long time.3. The Holds have been loaded: The holds have been loaded to the brim and the voyage home can be begin!4. Death sails along: Life at sea is rough. not seldom did a sailor die of a tropical disease or scurvy. After a memorial service the Captain would speak the words ‘One two three in God’s name ...’ and the body wrapped in canvas would be committed to the sea.5. A joyful homecoming: After many months of hardship coming home is perhaps the best part of the entire voyage. The quay is filled with people eager to give the crew a warm welcome.

The Netherlands have been an important trading nation for a long time – partly as a result of their geographical situation. One of the first multinationals in The Netherlands was the ‘Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie’ (VOC). The aim of the VOC was to send ships to Asia in order to buy pepper and spices and to take over the Portuguese monopoly in this field. The Company was successful. An era of great prosperity resulted in which the art of painting (Rembrandt van Rijn) as well as science (Constantijn Huygens) flourished alongside a thriving economy. 1. The Sails are set : There is a lot of hustle and bustle on the quay. The crew are preparing fordeparture. Goodbyes are said and once the sails have been hoisted the ship sets out to sea.2. A Visit to the Rajah of Yogyakarta: After a voyage of many months the place of destination is reached. A visit to the Radja the king of the area around Yokyakarta follows. The dishes and beverages and the native culture in general are very pleasant after having been on a diet of ship’s biscuit and water for such a long time.3. The Holds have been loaded: The holds have been loaded to the brim and the voyage home can be begin!4. Death sails along: Life at sea is rough. not seldom did a sailor die of a tropical disease or scurvy. After a memorial service the Captain would speak the words ‘One two three in God’s name ...’ and the body wrapped in canvas would be committed to the sea.5. A joyful homecoming: After many months of hardship coming home is perhaps the best part of the entire voyage. The quay is filled with people eager to give the crew a warm welcome.

In ‘Land of Legends’ German composer Andreas Ludwig (what’s in a name) Schulte takes you along to the fictional world of legends myths and fairy tales. The introduction to the first part (The Castle) describes the majestic contours of the scene of action. Its instrumentation (horns) immediately makes you imagine being in Medieval spheres. The addition of trenchant copper instruments even gives the part a heroic tinge. After entering through the gate a lot of hustle and bustle appears to be going on in the courtyard. Pages squires and soldiers are busy attending to their arms. Beer is being brewed flax is being spun cattle are being tended and some craftsmen fromneighbouring villages are busily at work. In the upper chamber of the round tower lives an old man (The Old Wizard). He hardly ever comes out and nobody knows exactly what he is doing. It is said that he is engaged in wizardry and magic. It is all very mysterious. There are also festivities some of them sober others exuberant. The wedding in the third part is celebrated in a grand manner. With a flourish of trumpets the bride makes her entrance at the hand of her father. Afterwards at the party there is dancing to the music played by minstrels and of course a plentiful banquet follows.

for Flugel Horn Solo and Brass Band-Moon Song Sun Dance was commissioned by Flugel Horn virtuoso Claude Romailler and premiered by him at the Swiss National Solo and Quartet Championships in April 2012. As the title implies the work is in two contrasting movements which can be performed separately or together.Moon Song opens with a flowing modal theme which the soloist embellishes before the band takes centre stage. A central section brightens the mood with a new melody over the lightest of accompaniments; this is once again developed by the soloist until the original theme reappears played by the band. This introduces a cadenza for the soloist which either closes the movement or canbe extended to link directly to the second movement.Sun Dance is a vivace 6/8 scherzo which opens with a flourish from the band. The soloist then introduces the main theme which in turn is taken up by the band. A short bridge passage heralds a change of key and a new melody from the soloist. A brief central interlude then introduces a change of meter and recalls the main melody of Moon Song before a recapitulation leads to a florid coda which brings the work to a close.

Variations on Saints Bound for Heaven-Based on the American ‘shaped-note’ melody Saints Bound for Heaven Variations on a Shaped Note Melody by James Curnow captures a feeling of joyful celebration through a series of unique and skilfully adapted variations. The opening strains are actually fragments of the first variation and occur before the main tune is introduced by low brass. The second variation features a euphonium solo and builds to a glorious climax with the full ensemble. The final variation is joyful and filled with energy using flourishes and fanfares throughout the band for a grand conclusion to this marvellous work.

Simon Dobson wrote his 'Four Sketches' at the request of Peter Bossano Head of Brass at the Royal College of Music in recognition of the 25th anniversary of Benjamin Britten’s death. The first movement 'Fanfare' quotes directly from the opening violin melody from Britten’s song cycle Les Illuminations. This melodic line is superimposed upon sonorous Lydian mode chords to project a majestic sound. The second movement 'Prayer' is a definite contrast being and much more reflective and pensive in it’s mood and featuring a dream like euphonium cadenza. The third movement 'Funeral March' builds from a soft chordal opening to a chaotic and confusedfortississimo climax with flourishes in the cornets and pounding tri-tones across the basses before plunging into silence for a flugel cadenza to finish. The final Finale movement is much more positive from the off with its jaunty melodies over a Brittenesque ostinato. The block chordal passages offer a crashing climax making for an exciting conclusion to an excellent new work for the medium. Simon Dobson’s 'Four Sketches' was the winning entry in the European Brass Band Composer Competition held in Brussels in March 2002.

Infernal Ride is mercurial and virtuosic reflecting the mad-cap chase of Ichabod Crane’s final ride on his horse Gunpowder in the story by Washington Irving namely The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Often an atmosphere of driven fear pushes the music forward only briefly stopping for breath. The work closes with flourishes in rapid succession perhaps with the hapless Ichabod meeting his unfortunate end! Brass Band Grade 5: 1st Section Duration: 7 minutes.Infernal Ride has been recorded by the Leyland Band conducted by Jason Katsikaris and is available on the CDPenlee.             

From the composer: High Flyers are regarded as people with promise and potential.They are winners. This is music for winners.The title as well as being a play-on-words implies the nature of the work. It is a bright optimistic and upbeat piece attempting to depict an exhilarating ride on flying carpet. The opening rising chords immediately suggest the gentle elevation of the carpets' ascent towards unknown heights leading to a hint of a first theme in the horns at Fig. B. The first four notes provide the thematic material for the whole work: C F G A.A perpetual sense of movement is achieved through accented quaver chords punctuating the melodicmaterial of the first main theme. Fig. E sees the music of the opening bars fully realised with flourishes from the euphonium and baritones representing swirling clouds shooting stars or passing birds in flight.The same subject is developed into a lyrical second theme with a new lush harmonic treatment evocative of gliding over an expanse of sparse countryside.This section ends with a note of serenity but is shattered by the urgent insistence of the percussion rhythms.The third section introduces a new idea with a slightly distorted fanfare in the cornets and trombones. This figure suggests for the first time that there may be trouble ahead. In fact there is no need to fear and the journey can continue without aggravation. This fanfare returns near the end to signal a final note of triumph.A new rhythmic variant of the cell motif emerges as the third theme now transformed by the addition of a triplet figure. The music steadily gains momentum before moving inexorably towards the climactic return of the music and tonality of the opening bars of the piece.

Brass Band Series. Par VAUGHAN WILLIAMS RALPH. In partnership with Oxford University Press and authorized by the Vaughan Williams Charitable Trust, this major new initiative brings the incredible catalog of Ralph Vaughan Williams to the wind band community, with scholarly transcriptions by leaders in wind band composition. As the name suggests, all titles in the Brass Band Series are scored for brass ensemble and may also include perucssion parts. / Date parution : 2021-12-09/ Répertoire / Brass Band

for Brass Quintet and Organ-Instrumentation : 2 Trompettes Sib Cor en Fa/Mib Trombone en Ut BC Tuba en Ut BC ou Basse Mib TC Orgue ad lib.